BPI Federal Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry
Berlin (ots)
“Unfortunately, it is more appearance than reality. The “Act to Combat Supply Bottlenecks and Improve Care for Medicinal Products (ALBVVG)” promises a lot in its name, but patient care does not benefit sufficiently from the planned measures. The government draft correctly names the problems, testifies but again inconsistent”, is how the Federal Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry eV (BPI) assesses the government draft published today. “The ALBVVG is a political attempt to treat the symptoms of a broken savings system, but without tackling the root cause of false incentives in the entire basic service,” says BPI Managing Director Dr. Kai Joachimsen. “The effect of the law remains small as long as the planned measures relate to just about one to two percent of the pharmaceuticals and at the same time discount agreements, upper price limits and other manufacturer discounts continue to apply. This means that the urgently needed effects in combating supply bottlenecks do not occur. We can only achieve sustainable supply security , if various interlocking measures reduce the cost pressure in the entire basic service”.
“For this, the legal measures in the ALBVVG must cover the entire basic supply. The abolition of fixed prices and the abolition of discount contracts for children’s medicines are important steps. This relief is also needed for all other 98 percent of medicines that are at risk of supply bottlenecks For sub-areas, noticeable improvements across the board are not to be expected. More than half of those insured by statutory health insurance are supplied via discount agreements. A modification of the existing system is therefore urgently required,” emphasizes Joachimsen.
According to the “Principle of Economic Efficiency”, every GKV-insured patient has a legal right to an adequate and timely supply of medicines. However, if a drug cannot be delivered and there are no alternative preparations, the patient’s chances of recovery and treatment deteriorate. An adequate supply of medicines is therefore no longer guaranteed. Unfortunately, these dangers are now real.
“Politicians are therefore asked to finally design discount agreements in such a way that the risk of delivery and supply bottlenecks is minimized as far as possible. We at BPI have pointed out several times that more supplier diversity and delivery security can only be achieved if, among other things, there is a mandatory multiple awarding of discount agreements. Tenders should only be allowed if there are at least four suppliers in the market, of whom at least three receive contracts and of which at least one produces significantly in Europe. There must be absolutely no discount agreements for supply-critical medicines. Otherwise, it will be not ease the situation,” stresses Joachimsen.
“Storage and reporting obligations, on the other hand, are counterproductive and act like a fire accelerator. They lead to even more costs – cause bureaucracy and tie up resources. In supply-critical situations, however, rapid and coordinated action is required. Rather, the existing BfArM early warning system should become a constructive platform to solve existing and impending supply bottlenecks in terms of security of supply,” says Joachimsen.
“What we are currently experiencing is a disrupted system: if a day’s therapy brings in an average of just six cents, prices are frozen at the 2009 level and costs for energy, raw materials and preliminary products are exploding, then location-oriented and medium-sized manufacturers in particular can no longer make it “We have to fight our way through the thicket of price constraints. More than 90 percent of pharmaceutical companies in Germany are medium-sized companies. So we can only get out of this if we change something fundamental: The cost pressure on domestic manufacturers must decrease – now and in the broad basic supply.” , emphasizes Joachimsen.
Press contact:
Andreas Aumann (press spokesman), Tel. 030 27909-123, [email protected]
Original content from: BPI Federal Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry, transmitted by news aktuell
